Back Home is a collection of archival and original photographs taken by my parents and I during trips to the West African countries of Niger and Nigeria in 2008, 2022, and 2024. This exhibition is an exploration of the concept of home and memory through the lens of those returning and visiting home.

I was born in the US to parents who immigrated from Niger in the early 2000s. My extended family resides in Niger, including the cities of Niamey and Zinder. The majority of my father’s family resides in the northern Nigerian city of Kano.

As I look back on these photos, questions surrounding the concept of memory and home frequently arise.

What does it mean to remember a place as someone who grew up there versus someone who didn’t? What is the relationship between the people in these photos as they exist today and who they were in the moment the image was made? How do the images we choose to capture influence the memories we keep?

The curation and arrangement of these street scenes, family gatherings, and intimate portraits are a means of exploring those questions. Through my personal story of my family’s journey back home, I invite viewers to examine their own definitions of memory, family, and homecoming.

More About Zainab Adamou-Mohamed

Zainab Adamou-Mohamed was born in 2003 in Greensboro, North Carolina. She is currently pursuing her BA in Studio Art at the University of North Carolina Greensboro. She has previously been included in Crystallization: An Exhibition of Student Ceramics and Sculpture (2023) at the Greensboro Project Space and the 125.2 volume of The Coraddi Art & Literary Magazine (2023). Her creative work explores the areas of culture, belonging, disconnect, and the immigrant experience.

@photo.by.zam, @art.by.zam